Is another CUPE strike imminent? – NB Media Co-op

One of the New Brunswick CUPE chapters that participated in the historic 2021 strike may soon be on the picket line again if the dispute with the provincial government remains unresolved.

At a media event in Fredericton on July 3, CUPE 1190 president Jonathan Guimond said union members could go on strike at the end of the month if the government fails to bring an improved wage offer to the negotiating table after 19 months of negotiations.

The CUPE General Labour and Craft Union brings together 2,100 workers across the province in occupations as diverse as plumbers and electricians, park rangers, construction workers, highway signposters, forestry workers, artisans and security guards.

When these workers went on strike in October 2021, their collective agreement had expired for almost four years. This meant that after the strike ended and the new retroactive contract was signed, they were back at the bargaining table within a year.

In certain occupational groups, recruiting and retaining employees is a challenge. “It’s like a revolving door because members don’t stay in those positions because they’re not paid properly,” said Guimond. The wage gap with workers in the private sector and in some New Brunswick communities in the skilled trades and other sectors is as much as $10 an hour.

The median wage of a CUPE 1190 member is $25.44 per hour. In the lower-paying categories, such as park employees and laborers, more than half of members earn just $20.67 per hour. The highest-paid category, communications directors, earns $33.33 per hour. The administration’s latest offer would impose a $3.25 per hour raise on a member earning the median wage after four years.

“We consulted with members and they were clear: the employer’s last offer was not acceptable,” Guimond said. In response, CUPE made the government “a very reasonable one-time offer” of a $6-an-hour wage increase and other benefits over four years to avoid the possibility of a work stoppage. Guimond said it was “a fair offer for both parties that takes into account retention and recruitment and gives 1190 members the opportunity to earn a real living wage.”

The province rejected the union’s wage offer on June 28 and CUPE reported a stalemate.

A strike at the end of July, at the height of the tourist season, would impact provincial parks, ferries, and the repair and operation of provincial roads and bridges.

Susan O’Donnell writes for NB Media Co-op.